A New Dimension To Scooting Around With Mobility Scooters

Mobility scooters are single occupancy battery driven mobility aids with three to five wheels and a handlebar for control and steering. The battery can either be a Gel Based, Sealed Lead Acid or Lithium-ion sealed, all of them being dry cell batteries. With speeds reaching a maximum of 10 kph, this little scooter has more features than you think. They are as follows:

• Powered by two 12 volt batteries that can either be charged by an inbuilt or separate charger. The charging point has to be 110 volts.
• The motor is usually one 24 volt or two 12 volts.
• Usually having a very comfortable high back, adjustable seats that can be swiveled. Angle adjustment another interesting feature in most standard scooters. The seats are usually sliding back and forth with height adjustable armrests.
• Very attractive steering column with angle adjustment feature. Usually furnished with an easy to use control panel with thumb or finger throttle.
• Most have headlights, blinkers and tail lights.
• Most have front and rear independent coil suspension with shock absorbers for ultimate performance.

So the above list is self-explanatory in itself that mobility scooters are not restricted to being a simple mobility aid today. It has grown not only in the market, but demand has increased also in design and ability. Officially to be owned only by a person with a disability, physical injury or inability to move, these scooters belong to two legal categories- Class 2, and Class 3.

Mobility scooters can either be used indoors in which case their use is primarily restricted to being inside offices, schools or indoor locations. These models are usually much smaller, simpler with speeds only reaching up to 4 miles/hour. If you own a scooter like this you do not need an official driving license to drive this scooter but you do need to get it registered. The other variety is the one we see aiding the elderly and injured or people with a disability used to commute to the local market, community center or other short distances. These machines are a little more advanced and complicated with speeds reaching up to 10 miles/hour. These scooters can also be categorised based on the number of wheels they have. The wheels can either be 3, 4 or 5 in number.

A primary member of the mobility aid class of vehicles, these scooters are exempted from all tax. Their sole purpose is to give a freedom and independence and add the freedom of travel to those with any sort of inability to move. They give wings to people who would otherwise be punished with a sedentary life. These scooters are battery run and are extremely environment-friendly.

It is said that an idea can change your life. A simple idea from Plumber Allan R. Thieme is changing the lives of thousands across the world. But no invention is perfect, so a major disadvantage of these scooters is that it is making people more dependent on it and killing their desire to walk short distances which they would have done otherwise. But it is a very small price to pay for a much bigger gain.